Police Chief Jeff Jaran was suspended with pay by Town Manager Sharon Lynn on Thursday, Sept. 12, following a vote of no confidence in him by the Provincetown Police Labor Federation. Provincetown Police Lt. Jim Golden, who is not a member of the police union, was named acting chief.

Ann Wood @awoodBanner

Police Chief Jeff Jaran was suspended with pay by Town Manager Sharon Lynn on Thursday, Sept. 12, following a vote of no confidence in him by the Provincetown Police Labor Federation. Provincetown Police Lt. Jim Golden, who is not a member of the police union, was named acting chief.

The labor union, in a letter addressed to selectmen and the community, stated that it opposed many of the chief’s “behaviors,” including sending officers into a restaurant-bar to collect the names of people present after Jaran objected to a song that was playing there, the distribution of campaign signs from the police station, a pattern of contract violations and the “unconscionable treatment” of Andrea Poulin, a union employee, who was sexually assaulted by an on-duty police officer.

On Monday, Sept. 9, selectmen were ready to ask Lynn to suspend Jaran after at least 20 of the 75 residents in attendance spoke of police intimidation, fear of recrimination, dismissed complaints and lost confidence in town leadership.

However, fearing that Jaran’s contract with the town didn’t jive with the town charter, the selectmen waited for the opinion of the town’s counsel, John Giorgio of Kopelman & Paige. About 160 residents showed up at the public meeting on Sept. 12, prompting Giorgio to recommend that the meeting move upstairs to the auditorium so that everyone could participate.

Though the agenda specified that public comments would be held first, they were set aside so that Lynn could speak.

“Monday night I heard each and every one of you,” she said. “I always wanted to tell you that I’ve been listening from the first day.”

Lynn went on to say that she took action the moment she heard that police Sgt. Thomas Koumanelis sent threatening text messages to a once-friend, and when Jaran reportedly acted inappropriately at the Squealing Pig restaurant after an NWA song began playing.

“When I first received notice of the harassment complaint of Miss Poulin, the first thing I did, before I recovered from my shocked state, [was to meet with Jaran]. I handled it immediately. I disciplined the chief immediately, without hesitation,” Lynn said.

Austin Knight, chair of the selectmen, then took the mike to read the letter from the police union.

“The union held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the chief of police and the concerns expressed by many members were disquietly similar to yours. Many union members voiced concern, fear of retaliation and believed their jobs could be in jeopardy as a result of their vote,” the letter, which was signed by union presidents Meredith Kurkjian Lobur and Thomas Steele, said.

“We cannot condone behaviors, including but not limited to: The ordering of police officers into the Squealing Pig to collect names of employees and patrons who were present when the chief objected to an employee’s exercise of their first amendment right to play music of their choosing; ethical violations regarding the undue influence on employee votes in recent elections, including the distribution of campaign signs from the police station; the disparity administered to union members by the chief of police and a pattern of continued and sustained contract violations, [and] the unconscionable treatment by the chief of police of a union member who was sexually assaulted in the police station by a uniformed, on duty police officer, including the failure to fully investigate and document the crime, and the subsequent protection of the offending officer which included positive job recommendations to other police departments,” it continued.

The letter resulted in resounding applause.

Lynn said that the chief was to be suspended with pay, effective immediately, and that the scope of the independent investigation into the Squealing Pig incident would be expanded to include all allegations cited in the union’s letter “and any others that were known to us.” (See related story on page 1.)

According to the town charter, the town manager may suspend a non-union employee such as Jaran for up to 15 days. Giorgio said that Lynn has the right to renew the 15-day suspension as long as she needs to, and she said that it would be continued until the independent investigation by Frank Rudewicz, of Marcum LLP, is complete.

Giorgio recommended that the board not fire Jaran that evening because, he said, there are procedures that need to be followed. According to Jaran’s contract with the town, he can only be discharged “after a hearing at which the chief of police shall have the right to be represented by counsel.” It is Jaran’s choice whether the discharge hearing would be public or not. He is contractually allowed to appeal the discharge to a three-person committee, one of whom would chosen by him, the second by the town and the third agreed upon by both parties. His contract further allows him to appeal the decision of the three-person committee to Boston municipal court.

In 2012, Jaran earned a base pay of about $126,000 with total earnings of just under $133,000, according to the Provincetown annual town report. His contract, which expires on May 18, 2016, also allows him a uniform allowance of $1,700 a year.

By the time residents were allowed to speak, those who had come out in support of Jaran spoke in his favor, but it was too late.